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Baron 1898
Baron 1898 is a steel Dive Coaster at Efteling. The ride opened on July 1, 2015. Ride history Announcement CEO Fons Jurgens announced the opening of a Dive Coaster for Efteling sometime in the 2015 season. The park later announced that the name of the attraction would be Baron 1898. Construction and opening Construction on Baron 1898 began toward the end of the 2014 season, by constructing the ride's main building. Most of the work on the building was completed by February 2015, and the track placement around April. Testing and debut The attraction held its first test run on May 8, 2015, and the first manned track operation was held on June 18, 2015. Twelve days later, on June 30, the attraction debuted to the press and preview ticket holders. It then opened to the general public the following day. Ride synopsis Story In 1898, wealthy baron Gustave Hooghmoed finds a nearby cave known for its heavy gold deposits, courtesy of a spirit named the Witte Wieven. The spirit tells Gustave that if he should tamper with any of the gold, he will suffer terrible consequences for the remainder of his life. Attempting to find a loophole, Hooghmoed asks for help to work in the newly-opened mine. However, Hooghmoed's idea proves unsuccessful, as many of the workers suffer from catastrophic or fatal incidents or are chased out by the Witte Wieven and other spirits. After the Baron is called out from his office to help with an emergency in the mine shaft, the mine's overseer, Laars, helps guests into their mine elevator vehicles. After boarding, Laars and the machine shop are attacked by the spirits of miners who vanished in the mine. Before his office explodes, Laars sends the miners out of the mine, and as the car ascends, a giant fireball explodes, nearly touching the rear train. As the train is about to leave the mine, the Witte Wieven relays a message: "You shall not evade my curse! Prepare to forfeit your lives!" Queue The queue begins with guests crossing an iron bridge over a small creek. This bridge leads to the mine's central office and barracks. At this point of the queue, guests will interact with a holographic Baron, who will give his new employees a safety speech and warn them against believing in the Witte Wieven. Guests will then move through the queue to the office, followed by the machinery and maintenance shop to board their trains. Ride Inside the building, guests are "attacked" by the Witte Wieven, and the attraction vertically climbs 98 feet. As the attraction is about to drop off the lift, the Witte Wieven screams from the pit, where smoke begins to pour out. After a strong message, the train plunges 123 feet into the pit, leaving via an Immelmann loop. After the Immelmann, riders enter some airtime, followed by another drop. The drop is followed by a zero-g roll and a fast-paced spiral. The spiral leads into the final brake run. Trivia Records * Baron 1898 is the first Dive Coaster produced by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) to not have a turn between the lift hill and the inaugural drop. Statistics * Efteling would update guests and the press on the construction of the ride via their official YouTube channel. By the attraction's opening, ten videos were posted on the ride's construction. * Gustave Hooghmoed's last name is a variation of the Dutch word hoogmoed, meaning haughty or overconfident. * The "Witte Wieven" translates to wise women, Dames blanches, or ''white ladies ''in Dutch. * Music for the attraction was created by the Brussels Philharmonie symphony orchestra, under the direction of René Merkelbach. * Sander de Bruijn designed the attraction's layout. * Mark Jensen was the head of engineering. * Within three weeks of its opening, Baron 1898 had three small incidents that caused operations to cease. The accidents caused the ride to reopen later that evening or the following afternoon. * The attraction cost 18 million euros to build, roughly $19,560,600 USD. * The attraction can accompany 1000 riders per hour. * The attraction's length is approximately 1,644 feet. * One cycle of the attraction lasts approximately 2 minutes 10 seconds. * The exit hallway leads to a cafe named 't Melkhuisje, or ''the milkhouse ''in Dutch. This is reminiscent of a tradition in which miners would have a glass of milk following hours of labor in the mine. Photo Gallery